Jodhpur: The 14th edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm rally ended in the Blue City of Jodhpur with Team Maruti Suresh rana and his navigator Ashwin Naik garnering the first position followed by Amanpreet Ahluwalia and Virendra Kashyap.
At the third position stood Niju Padia and his navigator Nirav Mehta. In the bike category, celebrated motorcycle rallyist C. S Satosh won the Desert Storm. The rally was brought to a grand concluding ceremony in the Blue city of Rajasthan.
This year the rally saw 200 motoring enthusiasts in about 106 teams in their modified cross country vehicles, covering 2100 kms distance in 7 days. The last leg of the rally, leg 5, ended successfully in the Blue City, Jodhpur.
In the last 6 days the motorists have encountered various difficulties and challenges, driving on the treacherous and sandy terrains of the Thar Desert. The drive finally came to an end in the tangles of winding and glittering medieval streets of the city with blue rooftops.
In the XTreme bike category, C.S Santosh bagged the top slot at 11:19:28 Hrs followed by Aravind KP at 11:28:06 Hrs. At the third position stands R Nataraj at 12:35:30 Hrs.
Speaking at the Prize Distribution ceremony, Mr. R.S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “We are overwhelmed to see the response we received from motorsports enthusiasts. This year has been exhilarating to track, to witness the passion and dedication of the rallyists even against the toughest conditions. I congratulate each and every participant who participated in this year’s Desert Storm and emerged as true fighters. Desert Storm is the perfect example of the intense bond between the rallyists and his vehicles. ”
On winning the champions trophy in the Xtreme category, from Team Maruti, Suresh rana, driving a Grand Vitara said said, “This was one of my toughest motorsport rally. The scorching heat of the desert, new rally routes added to the difficulties. However, this only encourages me to participate the next year. Can’t wait to be back again.”
Cherishing yet another win, C S Santosh said, “I couldn’t be happier. I feel at home when I am rallying, and the difficult terrains of Desert are an added joy to conquer. This has been an extremely challenging and satisfying year so far. I would work hard to continue this winning streak.”
In the NDure category, rallyist SK Ajgar Ali & MK Mohammed Musthfa bagged the top slot at 00:23:12 Hrs followed by Vishnu Singh & Adhithya Anthony at 00:42:13 Hrs Hrs. At the third position stands Jagmeet Gill & Chandan Sen at 00:58:06 Hrs.
In the Xplore category, Pratap & his navigator T Nagarajan won the first prize with a total penalty of 00:02:01 Hrs, followed by Rajesh Chalana & Arindam Ghosh with a penalty of 00:03:20 Hrs and Karthick Maruthi & S.Sankar Anand at the third position with a penalty of 00:03:20 Hrs.
After a display of sheer grit and passion for driving, the final winners were announced during the closing ceremony held in Welcome ITC, Jodhpur on 10th April.
FINAL RESULTS
XTreme Cars –
1. Suresh Rana &AshwinNaik- 12:52:03 Hrs
2. Amanpreet Ahluwalia &VirenderKashyap- 14:02:11 Hrs
3. Niju Padia & Nirav Mehta – 14:05:41
NDure Cars
1. SK Ajgar Ali &MK Mohammed Musthafa - 00:23:12 Hrs
2. Vishnu Singh &Adithya Anthony - 00:42:13 Hrs
3. Jagmeet Gill and Chandan Sen- 00:58:06 Hrs.
Xplore Cars
1. Pratap & T Nagarajan - 00:02:01 Hrs
2. Rajesh Chalana & Arindam Ghosh - 00:03:20 Hrs
3. Karthick Maruthi & S.Sankar Anand - 00:03:39 Hrs.
Moto Quad
1. C.S Santosh - 11:19:28 Hrs
2. Aravind KP - 11:28:06 Hrs
3. R Nataraj - 12:35:30 Hrs.
